Spring wheel



'April 7, 1925. l 1,532,911

E. K. MCLAIN SPRING WHEEL Filed may 14, 1920 s sheets-smet 2 ATTORNEY @QQJQM WITNESS:

INVENTOR .April 7, 1925. 1,532,911

E. K. McLAlN vSPRING WHEEL Fle'd May 14, 1920 s sheets-sheet s ffii/9.

Eil

EIM/195mm,

Arronnn invention.

Patented Apr. 7', 1925.

suenan K. Metern for WEBSTER ema/Iowa f'S'PRING WHEEL.

To all whom, it 91mg/- concern:

/Bevit'knoivnith-alt I, fEUsnNnfK. MoLArN, a citizen of the United States, .res-itling'Zat r ding Willibe positively prevented.

.A-further object,` of theinventiom isi tol construct va resilient Wheel in Which-the'sl'iokes are in the nature of arched 4springs-ot a particular construction which. rein-forces and strengthens :the saine, fsaidf-springs .having their outer lends fpivoted to shoe ihousings which latter are :connected .together rby pivotedf lin-ks, YWhile inthe :housings yareshoe blocks ofireinforced .conipressible [material which arefremovableiandareplaeeableimease of weaniand which:are` of 'Ja construction to have their engaging suifacesacontact :with theground for theaentire warea=of sai`disur faces. y

Other objects fand advantages Willpresent themselves. as the nature of f the invention :is better understood, yrefereime fbeing `had to the accompanying drawings.

lInfk the drawingsz Figure '.1 -is yaside elevationiof a v{'hicie wheel -constrl ict^cd fin :aceordan'cc with this Figure 2 is a detail vertical ilongitudinal sectional -view through one `of ftheashoes showing the springspolre.connected therewith and also illustrating the links Whichl connect the shoe to the adjacent shoes;

Figure 3 is a section View approximately on the. line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevationof two of the shoes in ground contacting position, parts being broken away and parts being in section.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the spokes employed.

Figure 6 is a perspective vieu7 of one of the shoe housings.

Figure 7 is a similar view of one of the shoes.

Figure S is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 8-#8 of `Figure 2.

ViIn :the showin-.1g "of the dratvirrgaf the which are lsecured the finiierendsy offspring spokes. 11. f yI Each .-spoliegis constructed of arched sprinfgnretal and-.each of Vsaid `spokes tin# cudesiafmain inember '12 1and van' auxiliary member 13. The main members of lthe spokes .are ieonnectetl to .the shoe @carrying housings, as -ivill'be -hereinafter .more .lilly set .forth, While the ,auxiliary v:members are of f a 'less slength than? the main inembers,1loeingi connected with the kinilain member-sato4 the hub, but being 'ofi-a f-length-sli-glitly ggreater than i onelialf the .length ,of `the main niembers "The -.main and auxiliary members .are arranged in flapping relation, -andqeach of the i auxiliary zinembiers lhas its outer i end, fat

which. areibeut-vover .tliemain members 16. .Thefshoea .which.constitute-'the tread portion i of 1 the Wheel :arel each mounted l.in y a metallic zmember that is Tin .the `nature .fof a housing,\-andtlre saidfhousings areiindicatfejd by the-numeral 1-7. Eaclihousing isiofia substantially lrectangular form-ation', having itswinner periphery, at :its .vs ides, provided Withiears y18; .Bassingfthrouglrtheears are bolts 1'9, and .these bolts =-also pass 1through the-sleeves ,.16 of the respective lwspolres 1,1. The ,bolts are engaged by nuts 2,0, ivhereby the housin gs and. spokes are removably connected. y 1

InWavrd with Yrespect i to .the i bolts 119, land to i one fside. thereof, i tl iere is passed through the-ears .of each of the fhousings. an additioned bol ts ,th' ere lis a f revoluble sleeve 9.2, and each of the bolts is engaged by a nut Q3.

The' ends of the housings at the corners thereof are provided with. outstanding eX- tensions which may be termed ears and which are designated by the numeral 211. Through these ears pass bolts 25 engaged by nuts 26. The bolts also pass-through suitable openings in the ends oflinks 27, and it is through the medium of these links that the housings 17 are connected together.

In each of the housings 17 there is a shoe Which is in the nature of a substantially rectangular body. These shoes, broadly indicated by the numeral 28, are removably secured to the housings through the medium of bolts 29 that pass transversely through the housings and through therportions of the shoes received in the housings, and the said kbolts are engaged by nuts y30.

Each of the shoesf'comprises an outer traction block 3l on Awhich is formed a re` 4duced rectangularportion' 32 of a size to be snugly received in the housing 17. The traction surface or portion of each ot the shoes is or" compressible material, being pref# erably inthe natureof-vulcanized rubber.

The Adiiierent materials constituting the p shoes are held together by bolts 83 that pass therethrough. The traction portions of the shoes are reamed so that the' heads 'of the bolts may be received therein, and thereafter the reained portionis plugged as indicated kby the nuineral. y

The threaded ends of vthe, bolts are received in sockets 36 in thev inner face ofthe portion 32 of the shoes whereby nuts 35 may be screwedon the saidl bolts. In this mana ner a worn shoe may be repaired, and als the shoes are removably connectedwiththe housings, a wornvshoe may be readily removed 'from the wheel without necessitating the removal of the other lshoes. f

Portionsfof at least two shoes 31 of the wheel are at all times inr ground contacting position. It is to be noted that the-inem-v bers 16 and21 are pivotally supportedv to one side of each other. Naturally the lower spokes of the wheel are under greater compression than the 'upper spokes, and while thesaid spokes" have been described as arched, they are=y retained at 'ai curvature through the medium ofthe linky connection between the housings of the shoes, and have a i'iaturalftendency to resume normal position. The spring spokes under compres.- sion naturally assuniea position away from the roller 22. Now just after one of the shoes leaves the ground, the spring spoke connected therewith, having a tendency to the roller straighteiritselfwill move' to contact with Y 22' on thevbolt 2l and will naturally swing theend of the housing connected by the link 27 with the housing of the shoe next to ground leaving posi tion. The result is that the first mentioned shoe will be canted or tilted so that its end spring spokes 'radiating therefrom and all of said spokes being arched in the same direction, a rini made` up of spaced members each carrying a coinpressible shoe and each having a loose connection with each other,

means pivotally connecting the spokes to the respective rim section, means inthe path f of engagement with the'spokes, designed to be contacted by each spoke in the expansion thereof when the same is brought out of ground contacting engagement to tilt the riin section pivoted to thespoke tov cause the saniey to exert a kicking action against the ground surface.

y 2. In a wheel, a hub, springe-spokes arched in the same direction radiating from the l hub and decreasing. in resiliency froin vthe 'inner to the outer ends thereof, a riin made up `of sections, and each spoke being pivotally connectedto one ofl the riinsections, a loose connection between lthe respective rim sections, a tread block carried by eachrini section, and revoluble means on each rim section disposedto one side of the pivotal connection` of the springs with said rini-secvtion and normally in the path of contact ,with but out of such contact with the spokes ttor the shoesin ground contacting positionV designed to be successively contacted by said spokes as the shoes thereof leave the' ground whereby to tilt'tliel rim sections to cause the y tread` blocks thereon to exert a kicking `action against the groundsurtace inthe turn-y ing of the wheel. y

In testimony'wliereof I affix my signature.`

Y EUGENE K. MGLAIN. 

